Woman Indicted in Crash That Killed Watson Teenager

Published on February 20 2014 7:22 am
Last Updated on February 20 2014 3:16 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

An Effingham woman was indicted Wednesday by an Effingham County Grand Jury on counts related to a December crash that resulted in the death of a Watson teenager.

35-year-old Melly Hofer was indicted on one count of aggravated DUI drugs causing a death, and reckless homicide. Hofer's vehicle collided with a vehicle driven by 18-year-old Brittany Baker of Watson on US 45 north of Heartville the morning of December 5. Baker died from the injuries she received in the crash. Hofer was allegedly under the influence of alprazolam, hydroxyalprazolam and tramadol at the time of the crash.

The State's evidence included recently-received test results from the Illinois State Police Crime Lab in Springfield. Hofer was taken into custody by State Police Wednesday evening. Her bond has been set at $200,000. Defense attorney Ed Deters has filed a motion to reduce Hofer's bond. The hearing is set for February 25.

The sentence for the aggravated DUI charge could range from three to 14 years in prison, while the reckless homicide count could result in a two- to five-year prison term.